Here at Last!

Finally...a few minutes to catch you up on our grand adventure.  Much has happened since our last post.  We left Milwaukee around 12 noon on Friday, October 10th.  My son, Adam, was gracious enough to haul us and all our luggage down to a hotel near O'Hare Airport.  Unfortunately, when we arrived we found out the hotel does not start shuttling people to the airport until 7:00 A.M.  That was not going to work for us...we needed to be there no later than 6:00.  Luckily, the desk clerk was able to make arrangements with a Taxi service to send a mini-van to get us there on time.  Problem solved.  Of course, it would cost us $50.00, but there was no other option.

Here is a picture of everything we own...3 full sized suitcases, 5 storage lockers (each one weighing in at 50 lbs.,) 2 carry on suitcases and 2 carry on tote bags.  It may not look like much, but they were heavy and awkward to handle. 

The flight itself was uneventful, with the exception of a slight delay in Panama.  Apparently one of the pilots got sick and they needed to find someone else to take his/her place.  That put us slightly behind schedule, but it was no big deal.

We arrived in Guayaquil on Saturday and so did all our luggage.  What a relief!  George, a man who helped us out the last time we were in Ecuador, was at the airport to greet us.  As we came around the corner we could hear his big booming voice saying "Lance...I know who you are!"  Apparently, he had lost our emails and couldn't recall who we were, until he saw us.  After a brief conversation he began to recall the last time we were with him.  I can't really blame him...he deals with hundreds of Gringos throughout the year.  I'm sure it's hard to keep track of everyone.  

George and his girl friend, Beverly, took us to their home, which has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast.  Then, we went out with them for a bite to eat at a sidewalk cafe, and then he took us all around Guayaquil to see the sights.  We happened to come on a holiday weekend, so there were many people in town for the celebration.  Sunday, we went for a delicious breakfast at another small Ecuadorian cafe with George and Beverly and then a employee of George's drove us up the Andes to Cuenca. We arrived at the Gran Colombia Suites, where we first planned to stay a month, but now we like it so much, we have extended it to 3 months.  Take a look for yourself...

The outside of the building at night.

Our Lobby.

 The door to our apartment on the second floor.

 Our living room is pictured above and below.

    

Here is our dining room, kitchen...

and bedroom.

 We also have large closets in our hallway with hanging and drawer space.

And we have a beautiful bathroom with a separate shower and bathroom stall.   We love it!  Unfortunately, we have no view to speak of.  There are other apartments with views, but they get less room and pay more.  We like having the extra space.  

Since arriving, we have been Crazy Busy!  After settling in a bit, we went shopping on Monday and Tuesday to get some must have items.  We took taxis to the shopping areas, got some food, and household items such as a hair dryer, hamper, pillows (the ones at the hotel weren't comfortable,) toaster oven (because we don't have an oven,) and other assorted items.  

On Tuesday we also met with Victor, a young Ecuadorian man, who helped us set up phone service, do some work on our visas, and make copies of our passports that we will carry with us.  He was very helpful and friendly.  Next week he will help us set up banking accounts.  We LOVE Victor!!!

We also signed up for Spanish class.  The sooner the better we figure.  Our class will meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for one and a half hours.  You can function here without knowing it...but it would be much better if we could learn the language.  We figure that is our responsibility.  That kind of brings you up to speed.  I will end with a few pictures we took while walking around town.  I hope you enjoy them.  

 Above and below are pictures of some of the historic buildings in El Centro.  

 This is a picture of the river near El Centro.  As you can see it is flowing very rapidly after all the rain they had the past week.   People have been warned to stay away.  The man in the blue jacket is a government worker and he is picking up garbage.  Cuenca is a very clean city...you often see people cleaning up the parks and roads.   

Another building...check out that flowering tree.  

Here is the park in El Centro.  It is located next to the new and old Cathedral.